Reverting to your birth name

Read this page carefully if you have reverted to using your birth name and you want this name to appear in your passport.

Important: You are not able to renew your passport online if you have changed your name since your last passport was issued.

Details of your married names are still required on the application form.

Born in New Zealand

If you were born in New Zealand and you want to revert to your birth name, you will not need to provide any documents.

Born overseas (outside New Zealand)

If you were born overseas and you wish to revert to your birth name, and your birth name is on your New Zealand citizenship certificate, then no documents are required.

If your birth name is not the name on your New Zealand citizenship certificate, you will need to provide your original birth certificate. Documents not written in English must be translated by a translation service approved by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Documents required to revert to your birth name

If…

Then…

You were born in New Zealand and are reverting to your birth name

No documents are required.

You were born overseas and your birth name is on your New Zealand citizenship certificate

No documents are required.

You were born overseas and your birth name is not on your New Zealand citizenship certificate

The original birth certificate is required. If it is not in English it will also need to be translated into English.

Avoid delays

If you are required to send original documents that are not written in English, they must be translated by a translation service approved by the Department of Internal Affairs. We also accept official translations of documents into English by the issuing Government agency or a New Zealand diplomatic post. We will accept translations made by a court in the country of origin if they have been authenticated by that country's diplomatic post in New Zealand.